Wow, I did not think I would have finished this so quickly, but I had time before my classes started on Monday and I had an itch to write so I figured I would just finish this chapter. Thank you to all of you who reviewed and brought a smile to my face reading your extremely kind words. Well, without further or do… Enjoy! :)

(Raphael's POV)

I just got to Splinter's building and I still had no idea what was going on or why he wanted to see me, and just me.

I just rolled my eyes and shrugged before going into the apartment building and headed up the stairs.

I was about to go up to the second floor when, "Raphael, I thought I was going to miss you." I looked up and saw Hazel coming down the stairs until she just hugged me. "Hey… mom." I say, still having no idea what the hell was going on, as I slowly hugged her back.

"Yoshi said you were coming over and I wish I could stay but I have to go to a tutoring session with some of my students. Just help yourself to anything. Hopefully, I'll see you later, okay?" She said, kissing me on the cheek, and then smiling at me before she walked past me. "Wait, mom, what's going…" But, she was already gone.

Well, now I officially have no damn idea what's going on.

I just shrugged it off as I got up to their apartment and I was going to knock on the door, but… it was already open.

Huh?

I walked into the apartment and looked around, thinking sensei was just going to be sitting somewhere in the living room like he usually does. "Hey sen… sei?"

No one's here? What?

I just stood there, feeling beyond confused, before I knit my eyebrows together and I said, "What the…" "It's nice to see you, Raphael."

I practically felt like I had a heart attack as spun around and saw Splinter standing in the doorway behind me. "Sensei, seriously?!" I say, still feeling like I was going to cough up my heart from having the crap scared out of me.

He always does that! Would it kill him to knock or at least be in the room to begin with before he freaks me out?!

"I'm sorry. I did not mean to scare you, my son." He says, interrupting my thoughts. I shook my head before saying, knowing I sounded defensive, "I wasn't scared. But, seriously, would it kill ya to just answer the front door to begin with before you decide to make me die before I'm 35?!"

Then he walked into the living room and took a seat and all he said was, "Again, I apologize, my son."

I just gave him a skeptical look before sensei motioned to this open seat on the couch across from him and said, "Please Raphael, have a seat. I just wanted to speak to you."

I quirked up an eyebrow as I sat down, leaning forward slightly until my elbows were resting on my knees and clasping my hands together before asking, knowing how confused I sounded, "About what?"

"Well, I'm not exactly sure as of yet. But I just couldn't help but notice that something seemed to be upsetting to you at our gathering last weekend." I gave him a look before saying, "What the heck are you talking about?"

"Well, when we were at Donatello and April's, I couldn't help but notice the way I saw you looking at Molly and Zach. Perhaps in response to how they were acting together?" He says, allusively, causing me to immediately whip my head up immediately.

I felt everything in me tense up and freeze as my fists clenched on reflex. My jaw was clenched so tight that I thought my teeth were going to shatter. My face kept contorting reflexively in anger as I thought about it again.

Then right when I was about to say something, sensei said, "My son, I think there is something you'd like to tell me?"

({No POV})

"I do not understand why you feel the need to dislike this young man, my son?" Splinter said, sounding confused.

Raphael's face contorted into outrage as he stood up, feeling his anger peaking that no one seemed to be on his side with this situation. Raphael crossed his arms, grunted, and spat out, "UGH, dammit, I'm a grown man. Can't I just feel angry about something without being criticized!?"

Raphael just stood in his place, looking away from Splinter, until Splinter said, "My son, everyone has a right to feel anything about whatever they want, but no one has the right to act unjust."

Raphael groaned in angry frustration as he took a few more steps away and said, "You don't understand. Go on and say it, you think I'm a bad father."

Splinter got up from his seat and made his way over to Raphael and put his hand on Raphael's shoulder. "My son, I do not know why you think that, when I do not see you that way at all, quite the opposite." Splinter said, using an extremely sure and reassuring tone, before motioning back to the furniture and eventually got a very confused and perplexed looking Raphael to sit back down and listen to him.

"Raphael, do you remember when you came and said almost the exact same thing to me several months before Molly was born when you were still quite a young man? When you were saying you didn't think you were going to be a good enough father?" Splinter asked, and waited for Raphael to nod before continuing with his point.

"Well, as I said to you then, there is more than just one type of good parent." Splinter reiterates. "But what exactly does that mean?" Raphael replies, looking frustrated and confused about where Splinter was going with this.

"Think back Raphael. When you and Mona were 17 and she came to you with the news that she was pregnant with Molly, you had many choices as a young man in that situation, good and bad. However, you did not ignore the situation. In fact, you chose an extremely responsible and honorable path that included you taking on that responsibility of acting like a responsible adult, as a parent. Not only that, and though this did not entirely surprise me that you and Mona chose to take this step together, but you and Mona even married and were able to forge a successful marriage from the situation as well as taking on the responsibility of being parents." Splinter took a pause as he put his hand on Raphael's shoulder, smiling, before continuing, "You made that decision entirely on your own... and that made me so proud. It proved to me that you, and your brothers as well, actually followed the example I set for you as a parent and showed me that I raised responsible and independent young men. You are the furthest thing from being a bad father, my son. Raphael, you are an excellent father."

Raphael looked down, before looking back at Splinter with a confused and flustered facial expression, "Look, sensei. Not that I don't appreciate this but… what the heck does this have to do with anything?"

"It has everything to do with this situation." Splinter said. Raphael continued to look at Splinter in his flustered state of confusion, still having no idea what Splinter was trying to say about his situation.

"Raphael, the state of being a parent, and actually life in general, is not permanence, but flux." Splinter explains, philosophically.

"What?" Raphael says back confused.

"I am saying that I think you are having a hard time of accepting the present because you are too stuck in the past when it comes to your daughter." Splinter took a pause when he caught sight of Raphael looking angry, like he thought Splinter was now contradicting himself and saying that Raphael wasn't being a good father, before continuing, "Raphael, Molly is…"

"I know, I know, she's growing up." Raphael says, almost mockingly and passive aggressively, but mainly defensively.

"Raphael, she's grown up. As much as you want to cling to the past of Molly being a child, you need to accept that Molly is now in the phase of her life where she is starting to enter young adulthood. That she is now a young woman seeking what she wants to do with her life and part of that includes her experimenting with and finding possible romantic companionship with another person, much like yourself and your brothers at her age." Splinter explains.

"You sound like Mona." Raphael says, almost bitterly, and feeling like he is fighting in a one man army against the world on this subject.

"Well, have you maybe considered that your wife is correct? Raphael, Molly has never been a completely irresponsible person, even when she was quite young, and doesn't strike me as a young woman who would hand her heart over easily. From what I've seen, Molly seems to handle her feelings quite maturely for someone her age. Especially in this situation with her developing a relationship with Zach. I may have only spoken with Zach that one time, but I could see why Molly seems very fond of him. Just from my instinct, I could sense that Zach is a very kind person and seemed very well intended." Splinter admitted; and in turn, causing Raphael to look even more irritated and on the brink of explosion.

"My ass." Raphael says quietly through his teeth to himself in response to Splinter saying that he liked Zach. It was silent for several moments before a look of clarity lit up Splinter's face before he asked, "Raphael, do you have difficulties liking Zach because you feel threatened by the way he feels about Molly?"

Then the evident snap in Raphael presented itself as he shot up from his seat, pointed at Splinter and yelled, reaching his limit, "HEY! Why shouldn't I feel that way about that little creep?! EVERYTHING WAS FINE UNTIL HE SHOWED UP AND STARTED STEALING HER AWAY FROM ME!"

The room was silent.

Splinter was still taking in Raphael's response, not saying a word, and just continued to watch Raphael. Raphael looked like he was coming down from his enraged response, finally releasing how he really felt about Zach and Molly's relationship.

"I don't know anymore, sensei. Molly is with this guy everyday and goes out with him all the time. How do I know I can trust this guy? How do I know if he's not going to hurt her? I just… whatever. I don't know." Raphael says, feeling that same stress he felt when he had his mental breakdown in the lair several weeks ago.

It was silent. The level of silence was so apparent that a pin dropping to the ground probably could've been heard.

Eventually Splinter stood up, a curious but soft expression on his face, and started to walk toward Raphael, who was looking away and leaning against the wall.

Splinter continued to approach until he was about an arms length away before stopping, taking a moment to pensively observe his son, before saying, "Raphael?"

Raphael just stayed in his place, trying to collect himself still after his explosion. He cringed briefly when he looked to his right shoulder and saw Splinter's hand resting on his shoulder to get his attention.

"Raphael, I know you love and care about your daughter as much if not more than any parent could love their child. I mean it when I say that you should feel proud that yourself and Mona raised your daughter to be the strong, independent, and intelligent person that she is. It is because of those reasons that I believe you are a great father and that is also why I believe that you are capable to use trust." Splinter was cut off as Raphael, cut in, sounding slightly offended, "Are you saying I don't trust my daughter?"

"No, I know you trust Molly, but I don't think you trust her to the extent that you think. Molly is almost 17 years old and you have always prided yourself in saying that Molly is a strong and independent person. So, if you really trust her, then you must learn to trust her judgement. You don't know what is going to happen in her life… just as no else knows about their own or anyone else's. So, you just need to take the trust you have in her and put that same trust towards those she trusts. What I am trying to say, my son, is that this is not the time to just sulk and stew to yourself about what is going around you, because it will only lead to more pain. You are an adult, and there is nothing I can do to make you do something, but know that living in resentment is not going to help in anyway. Your daughter is a young woman now, and it is better for you to accept that than try to ignore it. Believe me, my son." Splinter concluded, trying to see if he was getting through to his son.

Raphael was still standing in place, not knowing exactly how he should respond, as he kept putting up an irritated and flustered front.

Later that night

(Kaito's POV)

I was walking out of the store with a bag of groceries that mother sent me out to get.

I really didn't mind when mother asked me to do stuff like this. Any opportunity I can get to be outside is what I like to have, even if it is city outside. It's one of the few things I miss about living in the mountains at the old Foot Clan dojo.

Once mother was done giving me school lessons and my martial arts training, I grabbed my yumi and yebira and was out the door as fast as I could to go exploring in the woods.

I loved everything about being outside. Hunting, fishing, and climbing trees… everything about it made me feel alive.

The one thing I always remember was climbing this tall tree nearer to the house, mainly so mother wouldn't be upset with me about wandering too far off near dinner time, and I would just sit on one of the tree limbs and watch the sun going down.

The way the light reflected off the clouds, it was something I could never forget and at rare times around here, I can see the same thing from the rooftop in the evening.

Sometimes I just sit up there on my own, not even doing anything, just thinking.

I was walking back home and right as I was turning a corner and froze when I saw a group of about 100 yards ahead, and two of those people I unfortunately recognized all too well, Caitlyn's ex and Buffy Shellhammer.

I quickly ducked into an alley to avoid encountering them. If I have to talk to Brad one more time, it'll be really hard for me not to hold back from giving him what he deserves.

But, either way, both of them were still being ridiculously all over each other to the point that even I wanted someone to gag me with a spoon. It was them with 3 other people who were probably just friends and all of them started walking away.

I waited for them to be completely out of eye-shot before I kept walking to go home. I was walking by the point where they were when I noticed something that caught my attention.

Parked next to the sidewalk and looking really out of place in the neighborhood, was this polished and new-looking, red sports car and the license plate with B-mann written on it, gave it away and honestly made me sick.

This was Brad's car.

I still really hate him. Not just because of what he did to Caitlyn, well that's the main reason I hate him, but also because he is just garbage. His personality is garbage and his attitude is garbage. He literally might as well just be a pile of garbage in my view.

I don't even shop at his family's chain grocery stores when mother or father send me out. I'm not giving that spoiled, self-indulged scumbag or his family one more cent if I can help it.

I tried to clear my head by shaking it several times and tried to walk away, but then I stopped as I looked back at the car. I could feel the wheels in my head turning like crazy as I kept looking at the car.

I was trying to stop myself, until my gaze finally settled on one particular part of the car.

Slowly, I knelt down and set down the grocery bag, trying to look like I was tying one of my shoes as some other people walked by me. I glanced around to make sure no one was looking as I swiftly and slyly pulled a knife out from where I kept it strapped to my leg and quickly slashed a hole in the front, left tire of Brad's car.

I slowly slipped the knife back in place as I picked up the grocery bag and kept walking to avoid being caught.

There was part of me that felt ashamed, but that part was quashed by the vindication I felt by doing that. It affected me to the point that I couldn't stop my mouth from curling up into a satisfied grin.

"Whoops." I say quietly to myself as I kept walking.

Well, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. As I said, it was a miracle I had some free time before my semester started to finish this, but I really wanted to upload the chapter before I got too busy. Anyway, I hope you liked the Splinter and Raphael interaction. I always enjoy writing those, because writing as Splinter is a bit more challenging but I really like to try to put myself in my mental character when I write as him to make the interaction as believable and smooth as possible. I also hope you liked the Kaito stint at the end of the chapter. I've been wanting to write that in for a while just to elaborate more on Kaito's character. While Kaito may seem a lot like Leonardo, I also like to make sure to present how much of Karai is actually in his personality. In this case, I wanted to show that Kaito is like his mother in the way that he likes to see people getting what they deserve and while Kaito does feel the guilt in that mentality like Leonardo might, he derives some kind of satisfaction in giving someone Karma if Karma isn't acting on it's own to give someone what they have coming to them. Anyway, thank you all so much for reading and reviews are always appreciated.

Stay Classy!

Dexter1995